"I like to make her happy, and I want to make my mother happy. She has had such a hard life."

"You are a dear daughter."

Was she being a dear daughter to her mother? Mrs. Boyd seemed to grow more distant, more dreary and absent. Sometimes between cla.s.ses she would run in and take her mother's work, read to her evenings, but then she always fell asleep; but the girl went on. It was more company to read aloud. Just now she was deep in the making of Beautiful Florence.

Oh, would she ever get to know all the famous cities of the world?

How the time sped on! There was one snow storm, not a very deep one, but enough to call out the sleighs, and what a fairyland it made of Mount Morris. Sat.u.r.day all the girls chipped in and hired a big sleigh and a laughing crew of ten had what they thought the merriest time of their lives.

Just as they were getting out Louie Howe caught her skirt on something and there was a tear.

"Oh, girls! My best Sunday skirt! And we--some of us are invited to Mrs.

Westlake's to dinner, and she goes away on Monday. Oh, I wonder if Mrs.

Boyd can mend it fit to be seen! I can't take it to the tailors now."

"She darns beautifully."

"Well, that's what she's here for; mender in general."

"But it seems dreadful to ask her to do it in the evening, and the daylight is almost gone."

Louie hated to give up whatever her mind was set upon. She hurriedly changed her frock and put on a light evening dress. With her skirt in hand she crossed the hall. The door stood open. The house was always warm. Mrs. Boyd sat in an easy chair. Helen on one of the fancy stools under the gas burner with a book in her hand. Louie swept past her.

"Oh, Mrs. Boyd. I want you to mend my skirt. I've given it a dreadful tear. I can't take it to the tailors and four of us are invited out to dinner after church, so I must have it."

Mrs. Boyd rose and examined it. "It is a bad tear, but if you _must_ have it--"

"Yes, I surely must. O, I think you can do it. There's the whole evening."

Then she turned away. Lilian's temper flared up at white heat.

"Oh, mother, why didn't you tell her you could not? She has other dresses to wear. Let me take it back to her--"

"No, dear, I'll do it. Light the lamp for me. Why you know that's part of my business," and Mrs. Boyd gave a tremulous little laugh.

"I think Mrs. Barrington would not have such a thing done on Sat.u.r.day night," was her resolute reply, but she lighted the lamp and brought her mother's work table with its handy cabinet.

"You see a good part of it will go under this plait. Oh Lilian, do not mind such little things."

The insolent manner had hurt the girl keenly. Louie was on the promotion list and would graduate in June. She held her head very high. Her father had promised her a handsome watch with a beautiful neck chain that could be detached when required and she felt sure of it now.

Mrs. Boyd basted the tear on a piece of cloth and began her work.

"Lilian," she said, "will you go and see if there is an iron on the range, and ask cook if I can come down by and by."

Then she began her work. The underneath part at first, but somehow her hand trembled. Lilian watched with an indignant, aching heart. After awhile her mother leaned back with a sigh.

"I believe I shall have to get gla.s.ses," she said wearily. "I cannot do fine work in the evening. I am afraid I shall spoil it, and I've always been such a neat worker."

"Let me finish," said the girl. Every inch of her protested, but it was for her mother's sake. Lately she had done several things to ease her.

"Yes, let me," she went on, taking the work from her mother's hands.

"You know I can darn nicely."

Lilian took infinite pains. It was slow work, but at last it was accomplished.

"You are such a dear, good daughter, and it is said booky people are never anything with a needle, but you could get your living with it."

Then she took her work down stairs and came back flushed and smiling.

"Look, Lilian," in a tone of pride, "it hardly shows! Cook said she never saw more beautiful darning and that in a big city I could make a fortune at lace mending. Will you take it to Miss Howe?"

"No, mother," and Lilian spoke in a dignified but not unkindly manner.

"We are not here to run and wait on the girl. Let Miss Howe come for it."

Mrs. Boyd felt disappointed. She wanted some one beside cook to praise her handiwork.

Louie fidgeted about her skirt. She and Zay were in Phil's room talking over the coming Christmas and Mrs. Crawford's return.

"I wonder why that girl doesn't bring my skirt. Maybe they've spoiled it."

"Have you sent a maid?"

"Why no. I meant Miss Boyd. She oughtn't be above such things."

"Still, she isn't here to run on errands. I think Mrs. Barrington treats her quite as if she were a scholar, and she's a fine one, too."

"Some day she'll brag of having been educated here, though Mount Morris doesn't set out to furnish teachers, but the training of young ladies.

Mother likes it because there was no opportunity of making undesirable acquaintances," and Louie gave her head a toss.

"Is Miss Nevins so very desirable?" asked Zay with a flash of mirth in her eye.

"Still, if you met her abroad as a rich banker's daughter or heard of her being presented to the Queen--"

"Girls, don't quarrel about either one of them. Alice Nevins is a fool and always will be. Lilian Boyd is smart and ambitious but there _is_ the bar sinister. Her mother isn't the sort of person to come up in the world and when Miss Lilian gets there she'll ship off her old mother, put her in an Old Woman's Home. I despise that toss of her head, just as if she was up to the highest mark already; but they are not worth disputing about."

Zaidee Crawford drew a long breath. She had almost courage enough to stand up for her, then she remembered some one had said you were never sure that some disgraceful thing might come out. Who knew anything about her father? There was a good deal of pride of birth at Mount Morris as is apt to be the case where well to do people have lived for a century or so.

Louie sent a maid for her skirt and admitted that a tailor couldn't have done it better.

"Only a week" the girls said with their good night to each other.

Not that they were so tired of school, but Christmas was a joyous occasion, and going home a treat.

CHAPTER VI

AN ESCAPADE AND WHAT CAME OF IT